Column

Who is the most powerful film star in Bollywood? Depending on your age and inclination you would not be amiss if you elected a certain Mr. B or a certain Mr. SRK for the honour.

But who is the fillum industry’s most popular actor? Well, going by the turnout he got at the release of his autobiography- that title ought to be reserved for a certain Mr. D Anand.

Because cutting across generations, genres, camps and fault lines, the entire film industry hotfooted it to a suburban hotel when the Evergreen star chose to celebrate the past. It was a star gazer’s fantasy come to life-Amitabh and Rekha, Dharmender and Hema, Zeenat Tina and Vyjanthimala were only faces in a sea of people.

As I write this, I’m pretty sure the entire film industry-every legend, every Badshah, every emperor must be making their way in a show of solidarity to the Taj Land’s End for the release of Priya and Namratta’s book ‘ Mr. and Mrs. Dutt’ about their parents, whose pictures you will see all over today’s papers.

What is it about the Indian film industry that makes it so insular and inward looking? Why does it go to such lengths to look out for its own? Is it true that for warmth and fellow goodwill there are few communities as close knit as Bollywood?

To answer these questions one will have to take a few steps back, into the past, to where it all began. Back then, in the early forties, most of the patriarchs and the biggest names in the Hindi film industry immigrated to Mumbai from one area-Peshawar from across the border in Pakistan.

Whether it was Dilip Kumar, or Prithviraj Kapoor or the Anand brothers, they all came from one small area, looked for work around the same time, knocked around the same studio doors, even shared the same PG digs on many occasions.Now imagine the serious bonding such shared antecedents could foster.

A common heritage, a collective ambition, a mutual set of experiences. Few other film industries can boast of such homogeneity or commonality. Hollywood certainly does not come close. And how could it? It’s not as if all its denizens originated from one small city in New York State for instance.

But the coincidence of the origins of its pioneers is not the only reason why Bollywood is one big happy family. There’s also its incestuous nature to be taken in to account and the propensity it has towards star children.

Only in Bollywood will you have the grand niece of an actor dating the son of an actress who was once rumored to be linked. Or the son of an actor, marrying the daughter of an actress who were rumored to be more than just friends.

Or the daughter of a star couple, whose mother is dating… well anyway you get the point. In Bollywood it’s not so much whose who, but who’s whose, as they say.

So look at the pictures of the latest Bollywood love fest, eat out eyes out on all the fabulous couplings that took place last night, admire the unity that the film industry so successfully portrays. Because not only do we love our stars, and cherish them-but what is abundantly obvious is that they love and cherish each other too.
—s_malavika@dnaindia.net